Confidence: In One Easy Step

I want you to say “I’m confident.”

He looked at me like I was crazy.

“During your sales pitch,” I explained. “At least three times.”

His toes were turned in, Shoulders slumped. Eyes moving back and forth from me to his shoes.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said.

“Yes,” I said. “I already warned you it would be the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard.” I had already warned him.

“Well it is,” he replied.

“Yes.”

“You want me to say, out loud, ‘I’m confident’? THREE TIMES?”

“Yes.”

Rewind. 2013.

I was coaching a sales rep who checked almost every box. He was organized, technical, hard-working, and genuinely likeable. He did his research. He asked great questions. Customers liked him. But still, something was missing.

He lacked confidence.

And it showed—not in what he said, but in how he said it. He second-guessed himself. He’d rush through his pitch. His voice trailed off at the end of sentences. You could almost hear the little voice in his head saying, “I don’t really believe what I’m saying.”

And it was affecting his results. He brought several deals to the proposal stage, but couldn’t close them.

So I gave him one very simple instruction.

This is going to sound like the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard, but I want you to say the word “confident” at least three times during your pitch.

“They’re going to think I’m an idiot!” he objected.

“No they won’t. Here’s how you do it. After you give our background, you’re going to say ‘I’m confident that we’re the best cloud migration partner in the industry.’ Then when you outline your proposal you’re going to say ‘My team is confident that this is the right technical approach.’ And finally, when you give them the price, you’re going to say ‘I’m confident that this is the right choice for you.’”

I went with him to his next sales call.

And something extraordinary happened.

The first time he said it, “I’m confident we’re the best in the industry,” he sat up a little taller in his char. His feet straightened out. His voice took on a little more authority.

The second time he said it “my team is confident,” the customer raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.

The third time he said it “I’m confident this is the right choice,” he looked that customer straight in the eye, and he really meant it.

You could see the deal fall into place. The customer relaxed. Here was someone who knew what he was doing. They were in good hands. They started asking buying questions. “When can you start?” “How long will the onboarding take?” He had won the deal.

As we were walking out, I said to the customer, “He’s our newest rep, isn’t he great?”

And do you know what they said?

“Yeah, he just seemed so confident.”

Words matter.

Words can change how people think about you. They can even change how you think about yourself.

Every rep has strengths and challenges. One of our little tricks at Antimatter is to use language to help them iron out their weak points.

Could your team use a few little pointers to help them close more deals? Hit us up. Let’s talk. We’re confident that we can help. Book a free consultation.